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12:08 AM
@msh210 sun-dries
@juicifer yep yep
CCCC: Abolitionist Brown seen in symbol of integration, something which would give him a warm, fuzzy feeling (4 5)
I'd think he'd have a cold, fuzzy feeling, a-moldering in the grave.
12:24 AM
that's why the word "would" is there
12:38 AM
@juicifer long johns (John seen in long S)
1:00 AM
@Stiv am still lost... is it because of the "&lit"...?
1:25 AM
1
Q: Number encoding puzzle

anton-tchekovAn "ancient" writing system for numbers was discovered: How would the number 75 be represented with this code? (Two symbols)

1:46 AM
@msh210 yup!
@oAlt yeah it's "&litude" but then the "&" is being represented as "&" according to the wiki page linked below
 
3 hours later…
4:45 AM
@juicifer oh
5:19 AM
CCCC: Sharpen knife; finally assassinate abolitionist (6,3)
HONE + STAB + E
@DanielS yes indeed
CCCC: Statesman Spooner tells us to depend on fighting. (6,7)
Nice surface. Many times Spooner clues are awkward.
5:37 AM
(I mean, in the C4.)
 
3 hours later…
8:30 AM
warren harding was a statesman, and warring means fighting... but then it'd be something like "harden warring", which a) isn't a standard spoonerism and b) doesn't mean "depend on fighting"
@DanielS It's JUSTIN TRUDEAU - a Spoonerism of 'TRUST IN JUDO'!
8:50 AM
ooh nice clue
yeah that's a nice one
9:30 AM
how the hell would you get that from depend on fighting LIKE OW DOYOU KNOW ITS TRUST IN JUDO GRR
10:26 AM
@Stevo By thinking around words that mean 'depend on'... I fixed on 'rely on' for a while, but couldn't think of any world leaders with a name that rhymed. Then I thought about 'trust in', realised that rhymed with 'Justin', realised that Justin Trudeau (a world leader) had a name beginning with the required 'TR' sound for a Spoonerism, then realised it would give me 'Judo' for the other part, which is a manner of fighting.
All a case of thinking about synonyms until something fell out nicely
10:38 AM
ahh i see
11:19 AM
@Stiv Nicely done! Correct!
0
Q: Connect and r - - - - e

Prim3numbahWhat is drawn below? Give me the answer (5, 7, 7) and explain your reasoning.

11:47 AM
CCCC: Crop top (4)
12:26 PM
I'm tempted to suggest TRIM ddef, but the "top" is a bit sketchy
It could be WHIP ddef (a crop is a whip, and to top someone in a competition is to whip him).
I knew this one being so short would mean it potentially had multiple solutions. My intention was neither of these, though I think 'whip' is a good one. To help speed things along, I'll say that no nouns are involved.
12:42 PM
Maybe POLL ddef then? To poll hair means to crop it, and to poll a tree is to top it. Though those are kinda the same meaning.
1:34 PM
Ah, hang on, ignore my previous remark about nouns. I entirely misspoke there. (This Covid is taking a while to shift...) To repair my damage there, I'm looking for a verb for 'Crop' and a noun for 'top'. (Sigh)
1:57 PM
0
Q: Chess with jumping

acegikmoqsuwy2000Puzzle Statement: Consider the game of chess, but with a slight modification of the rules as follows: all heavy pieces (i.e. the queens and rooks) are allowed to jump as far across the board as they want, regardless of any pieces (pawns/minors/heavies/kings) in the way. More specifically, any ver...

 
4 hours later…
5:43 PM
1
Q: Cryptic crossword: trading places

NarushiteliThis is a cryptic crossword. Each clue contains an extra letter which must be removed before the clue is solved, leaving real words in place. Solvers may find a use for these letters. Each corrected clue consists of wordplay for itself, and a definition (not necessarily in that order) for a di...

 
4 hours later…
9:54 PM
0
Q: Excuse me, I don't wear pointy hats!

Chrone There's a guy moving into my neighbourhood. People have seen him do some strange, reality-bending things, like materialising objects out of thin air and moving things around telekinetically with a wave of his hand. Rumours are spreading that he's a wizard, a real magic-wielding wizard. So I went...


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